


Reflections

by cassandraclue



Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-05
Updated: 2012-04-05
Packaged: 2017-11-03 02:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/376359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassandraclue/pseuds/cassandraclue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While preparing to start ninth grade at SHS, Stacey reflects on the past three years of her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reflections

**Author's Note:**

  * For [marycontraria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marycontraria/gifts).



I stared deep into the recesses of my closet. Since our house was old, my closet wasn't very big, but I had jammed as much stuff in there as the laws of physics allowed. My mom is a buyer at Bellairs Department Store here in Stoneybrook and my new stepmother, Samantha, works in fashion photography, so I was able to put together a pretty solid wardrobe for a fourteen-year-old, using their connections and discounts.

I stood up on a chair to see what was on the top shelf and inadvertently knocked down a shoebox containing my knee-high leather boots. "Oof," I said, as it knocked me on the head.

"Stace?" my mom called from her room. "Are you all right?"

She came to my door before I had a chance to respond.

"SDT?" she asked, smiling. "SDT" stands for "Stacey's Daily Trauma," aka choosing an outfit. It's an inside joke between us, referring to just how hard it is for me to choose an outfit. I can't help it--fashion is a major part of who I am. I firmly believe, unlike my friend Kristy Thomas, who would be perfectly happy wearing the same hooded sweatshirt and worn-out jeans every day, that you are what you wear. Who you are on the inside is reflected by what you wear on the outside.

This is a sentiment that my best friend, Claudia Kishi, also believes in. Claudia and I different in many ways--she's an artist who struggles in school, I was the top math student in Connecticut last year and do pretty well in all my other classes too--we're both equally fashion-obsessed, albeit in different ways. I'm all about the latest fashions in Vogue, whereas Claudia is into vintage fashion and thrift shopping. 

While this key difference may drive a wedge between lesser friends--what do you do when one person wants to hit up Barneys and the other wants to go to thrift stores way out in Brooklyn?--Claudia and I have managed to maintain our best friendship for two years, through my adjustment to Stoneybrook and my moving BACK to New York and my parents' divorce and my subsequent return to Stoneybrook. 

There were two instances, though, where Claudia and I had MAJOR fights and even stopped talking to each other for a while. In hindsight, both fights make me feel pretty ashamed of myself. The first time is when I was dating this guy, Robert Brewster, and I started to feel like I was "too cool" for my friends in the Baby-Sitters Club, except for Claudia. After I had a party and didn't invite any of my BSC friends except Claudia, putting her in the middle, she (rightfully) stopped being my friend for a while. After I realized that these "cool new friends" were duds and went back to the BSC, we made up. Things were smooth sailing until Jeremy.

Yes, another boy. He had just moved to Stoneybrook, and Claudia immediately fell for him. Only he liked me, not her. And, I am sad to say, I put a boy before my very best friend in the whole world and went out with him anyway. It took a long time for her to forgive me and our friendship to go back to normal, but now we're back to being best buds.

And Jeremy? So not worth it. I'm with Ethan Carroll now, a sixteen-year-old artist who lives in New York City. I was dating him before Jeremy, but then we broke up and I found Jeremy--but after my breakup with Jeremy, I realized that I missed Ethan and we got back together. And Claudia is dating Alan Gray, who used to be the immature boy in our grade, but Claudia has brought out a totally different, romantic side to him. It's cute to see, even if it nearly gave Kristy an embolism. She and Alan had been mortal enemies ever since elementary school, where he was teasing Mary Anne, Kristy's best friend and one of my good friends, and Kristy poured Yoo-Hoo down his shirt in retaliation.

So things with Claudia are cool now, and I'm glad. That is more than I can say for my childhood best friend, Laine Cummings. My mom reminded me of her when she brought up the fact that if we still lived in New York City and I were still a Parker Academy student, I wouldn't have to even think about what to wear for my first day of high school. 

"Well, no, but I'd still have to accessorize," I pointed out. As you might imagine, with the only clothing decision we had to make being whether to wear a skirt or pants, accessorizing was practically an Olympic sport at Parker. 

"Good point."

"I'm glad we moved to a place where I can wear whatever I want to school, even if it a little stressful sometimes."

"To tell you the truth, I'm glad you're going to school in Stoneybrook too... I spoke to Peg last week, and she found an NYU student sneaking out of Laine's room."

I sighed. "That doesn't surprise me at all." Laine Cummings, Peg's daughter, was my childhood best friend. Since her mom and my mom were also best friends, it felt like we were destined to be friends forever. Life had other plans, I guess.

First, in sixth grade, when I first found out I had diabetes, Laine did the opposite of what a good best friend should do. She ostracized me. I peed the bed we were sharing during a sleepover, and then I started missing a whole bunch of classes and Laine began spreading rumors about me. Sixth grade was a nightmare. I was glad when my parents told me we were moving to Stoneybrook. Not even New York City is fun when you don't have friends to share it with.

"I think that even if we had stayed in New York, I don't think I'd still be friends with Laine. We're too different now." I remembered the last time I saw Laine, in line for brunch last winter. Her eyes were ringed with black, and she seemed tough and aged. Somehow I couldn't picture myself standing there with her, also dressed in black and looking angry.

"You never know what might have been. But I think this is a better place to grow up. What about this outfit?" Mom said, holding up 

***still in progress...***


End file.
